


Summer's Warm Embrace

by Nocturnalsky13



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, M/M, Prompto is the best camp counselor, Summer Memories, Surprise Promptis, Thunderstorms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28346196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nocturnalsky13/pseuds/Nocturnalsky13
Summary: Prompto understands exactly how it feels to be scared of things beyond his control. It is one of the things that makes him a great camp counselor. When a young camper runs to his cabin in the middle of a thunder storm, Prom knows just how to make him feel better.
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24
Collections: Summer Memories FFXV Zine





	Summer's Warm Embrace

**Author's Note:**

> Written as part of the Summer Memories Zine - a huge thank you to all that supported our efforts and helped raise money for the National Aquarium during a global pandemic. Much love to the mod team and everyone who contributed! May you always have the joy of summer in your heart <3

Lightning flashed in vertical streaks against the night sky, jagged veins spreading out and touching down on the surface of the lake. Prompto’s blue eyes sparkled with excitement as thunder rolled and rumbled closer to camp, the black water starting to churn. He loved summer storms. He actually preferred the raucous sounds and volatile atmosphere over the unease of the hushed stillness of winter. Long, gloomy months that held a disquietude he could feel down to his very core, along with the biting cold. But tonight the air was warm and humid, electrically charged, and bursting to life. It swirled into the room from the open cabin window and Prom breathed it deep into his lungs. Seconds later the clouds burst open, sending rain sheeting off the metal roof faster than the gutters could handle. Like white noise, the persistent rattle calmed the nervous energy that always seemed to buzz within him. 

Prompto knew the quick deluge would flood the lawn surrounding the cabin leading all the way down to the rocky shore of the lake. As soon as it stopped he'd grab his flashlight, schlep on his boots, and head outside for some nightcrawlin'. The heavy rain would make the fattest and juiciest worms rise to the top of the grass, ready for easy picking. 

“Hey Noct, get ready, we’re gonna get some bait as soon as this storm passes. The fish will practically throw themselves at us tomorrow!”

Noctis moaned and turned over, burying himself further under his sheets in the counselor quarters that they shared. Prom couldn't believe that he could actually sleep, unfazed by the thunderous sky. He shook his head and smiled, letting him rest. It had been an early Friday morning roll call for them and before this job, his cabin mate rarely woke up before mid morning snack. 

Among countless other properties, Noctis’ father Regis owned “The Haven,'' a summer camp for orphaned and disadvantaged children. It was no secret that the Lucis Caelum family had money, but the camp was one of their many ways of giving back to the community. Regis strongly suggested his son work the summer there, emphasizing the character building aspects for his one and only child. It only took one glimpse of the lake and Noct’s eyes lit up, responding to his father with his usual tone of indifference, “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” 

Prompto knew that despite his lofty upbringing, Noctis didn’t care if he slept on the floor of a tent or in the four poster bed in his penthouse suite. Give him a fishing pole and some water, and he was just a guy who wanted to be outside with his friends. He never treated anyone differently. Prom thought he was pretty damn lucky, to not be judged and looked upon as an equal. Because it took a long time for him to feel comfortable in his own skin; to ignore the awkward, chubby child staring back at him in the mirror. The one who looked right through the muscles and strong jawline that now framed his face, telling him that he would never have any friends. The one that made him fidget and tug at his fingerless gloves, reminding him that no one would ever love him. And whenever he tried to make himself useful, that clumsy kid would laugh, whispering seeds of doubt in his ear that he would never be good enough. The insecurities he harbored made him grateful for Noctis and his job at the camp. It was not only a sanctuary for the children it served, but a place where Prompto could help those he could relate so well to. Because he knew exactly how they felt. 

“BOOM!” Thunder exploded overhead, so loud it shook the ground beneath the cabin, snapping Prompto from his thoughts. A quick, frantic knock followed, the spring of the screen door creaking as it flung open and slammed shut. A young boy with wide eyes, his face as pale as winter came running at Prompto, flinging himself into his arms. 

“It’s okay, Timmy. It’ll pass soon…” Prom held the boy close, rubbing light circles along his back, as spindly legs wrapped tightly around his waist. The tiny camper buried his wet head into the crook of Prompto's neck, trembling silently.

“Look at me little man, remember what we talked about… breathe in deep through your nose,” Prom pulled back and the boy’s eyes were mirror images of his own, his tears threatening to fall onto his shirt.

“Focus on me, breathe out through your mouth... listen to the sound of my voice,” he continued, locking his hands behind the boy’s back. 

The sky drummed around them, lightning crackling against the rain soaked window panes. But Timmy gazed at Prompto like he was the only source of light in his world.

“That’s it, I’ve got you,” Prom reassured him. “It’s okay to be afraid and be brave at the same time… do you think you can do that?” He stared back at the light freckles covering Timmy’s cheeks, golden hair sticking up in all directions on his head. He could have easily passed for his younger brother and Prompto swore that he would make him see that the word home was not just a dream. Even if it was only for the summer. The boy didn’t take his eyes off of his for one second, but nodded, loosening his grip slightly.

Prompto finally exhaled, understanding that fear, probably more than any counselor there. It wasn’t that long ago that it was him, just a kid that never knew where he came from, bouncing from foster home to foster home. The only memory he had from his early childhood was something out of a sci-fi nightmare. He wasn’t even sure if it was real or just an image from the video games that he and Noctis played until their fingers were cramped and sore. Sometimes it woke him up at night, a crushing feeling of being trapped in some sort of incubator, his body floating in warm liquid. Then there were those eyes, gloating and red, staring at him through the glass like he was some kind of prized possession. Prom tried to shake the cobwebs from his head and put on a smile for the young camper.

“That’s better. Now what would Head Counselor Gladiolus say?”

Timmy crossed his arms in front of his puffed up chest. With the most serious look on his face, he deepened his voice, “Thuck it up kid, it’s not gonna hurt you!” he lisped through two missing front teeth. 

“Uhm, maybe not a good example,” Prom quickly backpedaled. “Lemme try that again… what would Camp Leader Ignis say?” 

“Sumthin ‘bout hot air rising up to the clouds filling them up like a sponge.” Timmy scrunched up his face and bit his bottom lip, thinking hard. “Mr. Ignis called it a big word that sounds like constipation…he said when the clouds get too heavy, wain falls to the gwound.” The boy smiled proudly. 

“I think it’s called condensation,” Prom chuckled, remembering that it had only been a few years since he and Noctis were sitting bored out of their minds in science class. 

“That Ignis is smart, isn’t he?” Prompto’s approach was working, until the sky rumbled again, bringing the fear back to Timmy’s eyes. He tried to distract him.

“Hey, have I ever told you that I am afraid of snow?” he whispered softly. He peeked over the boy’s shoulder to see Noctis propped up on his elbows, his blue eyes watching curiously from behind his midnight hair. Prompto gave him a quick wink, wondering how long he had been awake.

“I can’t buhweeve you’re afwaid of anything,” Timmy’s eyes grew wide. 

“Yup, it’s true,” Prom nodded. 

He carried Timmy over to the far end of the room, away from any windows and plopped him down on the couch. He wrapped a soft blanket around the boy and sat on the coffee table facing him. 

“I went on a ski trip with my friends. It was getting late and I begged for one last run. It was a gnarly black diamond, twisting and turning in every direction, winding deep into the woods. I swear I could do it, even though Iggy didn’t think it was a great idea.” 

“Camp Leader Ignis?” Timmy asked.

“Yup, that’s the one. Like I said before, Mr. Ignis is the smartest guy I know, so always listen to whatever he says," Prom poked the boy’s chest lightly. 

"Anyway, Noctis came with me because we were stupid and cocky and thought we could take on the gods. And we did fine until I got to the chute a little after Noct, only I hit a patch of fresh powder and couldn’t navigate the vertical drop. I went flying down the other side away from the trails and heard a loud snap when I landed. Thought it was a tree branch, but turns out it was my leg. I couldn't move and it was getting dark.”

“Then what did you do?” Timmy’s rapt attention hung onto every word as he sat completely still.

“Well, it took me a while to figure out what had happened and by then the sun was gone and it was cold… so cold that I couldn’t feel my hands or toes, or my broken leg. I was scared and hungry, and I couldn’t hear my friends, the motor of the ski lift, or much of anything but my teeth chattering. It was the longest twelve hours of my life. I really thought that I was gonna die on that mountain, that I’d freeze to death, get eaten by a wild animal… or if I did survive, that Gladio would kill me,” Prompto rambled on. “I started thinking that no one would even care if I was gone.”

“I would care,” Timmy said adamantly, pulling the blanket around his skinny shoulders a little tighter. “And I wouldn’t want Head Counselor Gladiolus mad at me either.”

“I know you would care,” he smiled at the boy, “and Gladio just wants us to be strong, but smart at the same time.” Prompto realized that maybe this was a lot for a six year old to understand, so he took a deep breath and tried to wrap it up. 

“Well, the next morning, it was Noctis who found me,” he paused and turned his head, meeting his cabin mate’s eyes for a split second. “I must have fallen asleep after crawling my way under the pine trees trying to stay warm. Soon after that, Gladiolus and Ignis came with blankets and brought me down the mountain strapped to a sled.” 

Prompto didn’t want Timmy to really know that he was unconscious and that if Noct didn’t see his ski poles sticking up out of the snow that he wouldn’t be here to tell this story. 

“So that is why I am not a fan of the snow,” Prompto shivered, staring blankly out the window. Feelings of isolation and abandonment had resurfaced and he tried to tamp them down, knowing they were unwarranted. Sometimes he just couldn’t help it.

“Hey look, the rain stopped!” The storm had passed as quickly as it came. Prom looked over at his best friend, catching the concerned look on his face.

“Tim, why don’t you come with us to get some fresh bait worms?” 

“Can I?” the boy’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, looking to Noctis for approval.

“Uh, sure thing kiddo,” Noct answered as he stood up stretching. Lemme grab a hoodie.”

Prompto grabbed an extra sweatshirt and slipped it over Timmy’s head. “Wouldn’t want you to get cold... Ya think you can hold the flashlight?”

An hour or so later, mounds of squirming nightcrawlers were dumped into the bait box bedding, but Timmy wasn’t ready to end the fun just yet. He begged Prompto and Noctis to let him stay up late. Not that they needed much persuading. 

They heeded the owl’s beckoning call, echoing over the lake. Unbothered by the late hour, they sloshed along the shoreline in their boots, looking for the flattest skipping stones. Their eyes strained to count the splashes as they threw them into the dark water. 

The clouds had parted, giving way to a silvery crescent moon. It guided them farther down to the docks where gentle waves rocked the row boats against the buoys. They walked out to the end of the wooden planks and sat, dangling their feet over the side. Pulling up their hoods to use as makeshift pillows, they lay back under a canopy of twinkling stars, silently wishing the night would never end. 

An endless harmony of crickets wrapped around them like a weighted blanket. Prompto and Noctis soaked it all in, relishing in the darkness and serenity of summer nights as much as the gold and glimmer of its hottest days. Happy moments like these were stored like treasured snapshots to get them through any season. As the light waves lulled them into a tranquil state, Timmy fell asleep beneath the gleaming sky, a relaxed smile on his face. 

Prom picked him up gently, holding the small camper close against his chest. They walked back to the cabin quietly, the glow of fireflies lighting their way. Noct held the door open, closing it slowly so it wouldn’t creak or slam behind them. Carrying Timmy over to his bed, Prompto put him down gently and tucked him in. 

Pale outlines and shadows reflected off the night sky enough to lightly illuminate the room. “I hope you don’t mind him sleeping in my bed tonight,” Prompto whispered to Noctis. 

“It’s not like you sleep in it anyway,” Prom could see Noct grinning at him, holding up the covers for him to nestle in beside him. His warm arms welcomed him, lips softly grazing the back of his neck, down to his sun kissed shoulders. 

“Hey, that line you told Timmy… about no one caring if you were gone. For the record, I would care too,” Noctis said quietly.

Prompto sighed and closed his eyes, holding onto summer as tightly as Noct was holding onto him. Where golden, lazy days lasted long into languid, star filled nights. A beautiful, sun soaked season captured in his heart, the feeling of warmth and contentment never fading away.


End file.
